Insignia
by CrazyJamaicanLocks
Summary: This is the story of a femme, and how she learns to live in her new faction, building bonds and friendships as she evolves into her new, better life with the Autobots. Maybe romance, but much later on. Rated T for later chapters, and probable swearing.
1. Meet Notes

**Right... I was sitting at home looking through all these fics, but everyone seems to have forgotten about, or just ditched my favourite characters! So I was pretty sad. SO now I'm writing this story, and I hope it's gunna be at least half-decent. PLEASE review, revies are JOY! And if you can, leave critique. Feedback makes me happy! So... Enjoy!**

_Energy Signature Detected. Scanning... ... ... ..._

_Headed to planet designation: Earth._

_..._

_Beginning descent into atmosphere... _

_Engines on high power._

_Engaging engine coolers._

_..._

_Scanning for suitable landing space... Detected._

_Landing..._

_..._

_Landing successful. Flight over._

I slowly stood up scanning the area for any possible witnesses to my less than subtle landing. I did not find any suspicious behaviour or visible human life. The landscape around me was indescribably different from that of Cybertron, or any other planet I'd visited. I discovered that the place I landed in was known as the United States of America, and downloaded the language most commonly spoke here, English. Remembering Prime's words, I scanned a satellite system, the Internet, for a form of cover for me to take. I didn't want an ugly, rusting, slow piece of junk, and I wasn't big enough to form a saloon or truck so I looked at coupe cars. There were some very pretty looking machines. The human race was not so useless, I decided as I transformed into a white Peugoet SR1 and sped down the highway, only to pick up three Autobot energy signatures. I cussed. I came in a break for freedom, only to be hunted down again? Hell no. When three headlights appeared at the end of the road I bombed off back the way I came, swerving to avoid killing countless innocent flesh-bags. Not that I cared for their miserable, short lives. Oh no. I didn't want to dent my new , or coat it in squishies' bodily fluids. I still didn't understand how a faction, already pitifully small, chose to keep on fighting but not honourably, alone. Allied, with these frail, naive, useless, slimy flesh-bags. What happened to the once honourable Prime for him to make such a stupid decision?

I drove into a dark alley-way and powered down, cloaking my energy signature. I was not going to be taken prisoner. Not today. I saw the street ahead brighten under the beams of lights emitted from the Autobots and prayed they wouldn't find me. Too late however, I thought as a bulky, black mech transformed just before me.

"Gotcha, Decepticon scum."

Was this fool really so thick? Could he not tell I was a femme? The last time I checked, the Autobots frowned upon harming femmes... Maybe they changed. Maybe it is I at fault. I remained in my as two other mechs came from behind the black one, and the three very obviously had a discussion via their internal com links. The large bot with red and blue armor knelt down in front of me, and my processor nearly glitched when I realised it was Prime.

"Optimus..."

"Calm down, Ironhide. She holds no threat. She is outnumbered, and has made no advances. Femme, transform and tell us of your designation and status. Why are you here?"

Who was I to ignore a Prime? I thought as I nervously shifted up. "Designation: Notes. I am here on Earth fleeing Decepticon headquarters." I glanced at the three mechs. One was small and silver, transformed from a Pontiac Solstice. The other, Ironhide, was at least six feet taller than him and had taken the cover of a GMC Topkick. Having already stared up his cannons, I could see why many Decepticons feared his wrath in battle. Then there was Prime. Huge, about thirty feet, and oozing power.

"Fleeing?"

I cringed slightly at the memories that did not wish to be relived. "Lord Megatron wants more warriors, and wished to use me to achieve this. I did not desire such... treatment. I left with hopes to turn my back on the war and be free."

"The femme has clearly glitched, no-one can turn their back on the war now," Ironhide ranted.

"Ironhide." Prime said, in a warning tone. He turned back to me, "What of your status?"

"Minute damage from hand to hand combat. Otherwise, undamaged." What were they going to do with me? I can't be locked up again. I left to be free, not to be deprived of it by different hands. The three seemed to be conversing again. I vented in frustration. Did they wish to just keep me here? "Sir, what are you going to do with me?" Prime paused, thinking about something hard, and faced me once more.

"We are going to take you back with us to a secure facility, where you will be kept under observation until further notice. I'm afraid we cannot leave a Decepticon-"

"Former-Decepticon," I snarled. I only just got here to be taken away again.

"-amongst humans. You must choose to either join the Autobots or face execution, bearing the Decepticon insignia, but bear in mind, whilst death may be an unfortunate fate, earning the trust required to be part of our faction is a difficult, trying endeavour and you will not be accepted fully for much time to come." I stared up at Prime, with a mixture of frustration, confusion, bewilderment and sadness. Such a huge choice. "Do not make your decision now. You have time." He raised his voice, addressing all of us. "Now, transform and roll out."

**My fat kitties are demanding you to review, or they'll come and sit on your asses... Press the sexy button. FTJ PEOPLE, FTJ!**


	2. So What's the verdict?

**HAI! Sorry for the late update guys, I've been stressed as hell. But I'm back! So you know what to do. Please R+R, and sorry in advanvce for any mistakes... :$ But I hope ya like it!****_**

Small rays of light managed to intrude into the brig, through the tiny gap between the door and the floor. I sat motionless in the corner, in my , pondering over the choice Prime had given me. Despite all of my less than pleasant endeavours, and the painful memories etched forever inside my processor, I wasn't suicidal, however there was nothing I could have loathed more than the prospect of meeting those 'Cons who had abused me and hurt me so badly again, especially on the battle field. A small voice was nagging me in the back of my head, drawing me closer to making that life-changing decision.

_They're not going to harm you, that goes against everything they stand for! The fact they didn't slaughter you on the spot was something short of a miracle! For Primus' sake, it's a big decision, but REALLY, what other options do you have? This is the closest thing to freedom you're going to get now..._

Venting heavily I shifted up and pressed the button on the wall, and shortly after a mech opened the door. His paint job was black and white, and I'd heard his name was something along the lines of Growl. He looked at me questioningly.

"Sorry to... um... disturb you." I looked down nervously, "But I wish to be taken to Prime."

Growl's optics flashed, but he nodded and stood by the door, letting me out of my dark, gloomy prison. "After you," he said curtly.

I walked out of my cell, down a gloomy corridor until we reached another large, heavy looking door, where two other mechs walked on either side of me as we went to the Prime's office. I turned around cautiously, and murmured, "Growl..?"

He seemed lost for a moment, but then his optics darkened. "Excuse me?" he snarled. I stared at him in confusion, was he glitching?

"Um... What's wrong with you?" I asked, I was getting nervous, he was starting to twitch rather violently. He spluttered out some profanities in our native language, and I frowned at him. "There's absolutely no need for that, sir. I simply wanted to ask a question."

The mechs by my side seemed to be convulsing as well, and I wondered what sort of madhouse this base was. One of the mechs by my side, let's call him Sunshine - to match that gleaming paintjob, spoke, and it was then I realised that they were laughing.

"Causing trouble already..."

The door in front of us swung open, to reveal Prime, who looked down at us in curiosity.

"Notes..." he said in a knowing tone. "Am I right in thinking you are here with your decision?" I nodded my head. "Come in."

I glanced back at Growl, and tried once more, "Growl? Will you _please, _for the love of _Primus_-"

"Don't. Talk. To me." With that, he spun and stalked off the way we came, leaving Sunshine and... let's call the other Scarlet, laughing their afts off, me feeling utterly bewildered and Prime just plain confused.

"Am I missing something?" he asked.

"I'll be damned if I know sir. I simply spoke his name and then he started glitching!" it suddenly hit me, how bad this looked."I wasn't trying to provoke him sir! I hardly got a word in! I-"

Scarlet cut into my rant, "I guess _Growler_ just needs a little break, Optimus."

Aaah, so it was _Growler! _No wonder he went so funny, I got his name wrong! I must have sounded terribly off... I nodded fervently at Scarlet's comment. "It must stir him up an awful lot, guarding my cell all day." I added.

Prime shook his head and stood by the door, inviting me into his office. "Come in, femme." He said, before muttering under his breath, "_Growl?" _The two mechs outside smirked, and then skated off down the hall. "So, Notes." Prime breathed, before sinking into some sort of welded metal concoction, "What have you been thinking these past few days? What is your verdict?"

I vented heavily. "As much as total freedom would be desired," I glanced at him accusingly before carrying on, "I don't have a death wish that I am aware of..." I frowned, would they _really_ have to kill me? Wasn't that just a little over the top? "I would like the chance to... Ugh... Work with you."

Prime tilted his head to the side, "And the humans?"

Oh dear. Did he expect me to take that infamous oath? Did he expect me to maintain close contact with these pathetic creatures? I looked at him witheringly. "Must I?"

"It would certainly be necessary, Notes."

"Eugh. Then yes. Yes, I would." What have I let myself in for this time? "Please, sir, I wish to join you in the war."

Prime blinked, before rising to move around his huge desk and place his hand upon my shoulder. I stared at his hand with wide optics, feeling a horrible sense of déjà vu. Instead of my ghastly predictions he simply said, rather warmly, "Welcome to the team."

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After I left Prime's office I was lead to my chambers, by none other than Scarlet and Sunshine. They grinned down at me goofily.

"Notes, right? Hey. I'm Sideswipe, and that's my brother, Sunstreaker." So close! Yet so far... I preferred Scarlet and Sunshine. "So you're here for keeps?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, but do you know what happened to Growler? He didn't look so good when he left. Slightly homicidal, actually. I realise I got his name wrong, although, I only made a minor error with his designation. I see no reason behind his reaction." I frowned up at them.

"Oh, don't worry about that old cranky aft. We'll take care of him, right Sunny?" Sideswipe elbowed his brother, with a large grin, leaving me to wonder what sort of crowd I had fallen into. All the warriors I'd met so far were rather bonkers.

"Don't worry about it. Anyway. Here's your chamber. We'll see you around. And if you want a tour or anything, let us know." He winked and the pair walked past me, leaving me to myself in my room. I looked around at the walls. So plain... I then remembered I had to go see the medic, and have the Decepticon signature removed from me, and a new system fitted. Oh Primus, I never got directions! Turning my back on my room, I walked away looking for someone to give me directions. The twins had skated off into the sunset, so I could never find them now without being late for my appointment. The only things I saw were humans, aimlessly milling around with no Autobots whatsoever. _Fabulous._ I scanned them all, before transforming down and approaching one.

"Excuse me, do you happen to know where the med. bay is?"  
>"Oh sure! It's..." As he looked wildly around I opened my door. This organic wasn't leaking as much as the others, but even so... Disgusting, fleshie, unsanitary... "Erm..." He stared at my Decepticon crest, and I groaned.<p>

"Calm yourself, human. I won't kill you. Just take me to the med. bay."

"Right. Okay. Right." He timidly slid into the driver's seat. "Take this left." He instructed, and I drove. It was almost tolerable. "So... you're that new o- Notes, right?"

"I am. Is the whole human population aware of this now?"

"Nah, just everyone at NEST. So, whatcha gon' do with the Ratch'?"

"You mean Ratchet? I'm having my systems recalibrated. I am now your work collegue." I muttered with distaste. I am working with humans. _Humans._

"Oh cool! Well I'm Robert. Robert Epps. But you can call me Bobby." He laughed nervously. I vented.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would be imprisoned. Calm yourself human."

"Bobby. You call me Bobby. Anyway. We're here. So... yeah. You're welcome." He opened my door and started to climb out, but I stopped him.

"One moment. You have my thanks, Robert Epps." I guessed I should be polite, I _was _gaining trust, afterall.

"Hah. It's chilled. Except one thing, man. It's Bobby." I laughed.

"Bobby."

"There we go. I'll see you 'round." With a salute, he walked off and I rose into my bipedal mode and walked into the med. bay. And there he was. The legendary Ratchet.

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About thirty earth minutes later I exited Ratchet's lair, with a brand new silver insignia. I wasn't ashamed either, it looked pretty... okay, REALLY good. My communication systems were also now up to scratch, so I was very grateful to the medic. However, I could see how some rumours got about – he certainly wasn't an overly cheery mech, but we were civil, and I imagine he would warm up to me at least a little once he'd gotten used to me. With some luck. But no matter. I was ready. Well, I was an Autobot. Kind of. I just needed to prove myself somehow. But right now, I needed to recharge. With that, I headed back to my chamber and lapsed into blissful unawareness.  
>_<p>

**FTJ!**


	3. The adventure begins

**Hey! ^-^ Sorry about the long wait... I've been a tad preoccupied - English exams, Chemistry exams, French exams... Works of the devil -_- But I'm back! Remember to leave any crit. and review! Reviews really do make me dish these out quicker, so please do! For now...**

**(Anything in bold is internal com.s)**

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><p>"Oh Primus..."<p>

Epps and Sideswipe were laughing heavily beside me, as I stared blankly into space in shock.

"...So all this time I've tried to talk to him I've unconsciously been asking for him to... _growl_?" They laughed even harder at my remark, winding me up further, until I elbowed Sideswipe hard, causing him to yelp from the jolt. "You Earth-based fraggers are so _infuriating_!" I stormed away from them, leaving the wheezing couple in the .

Cursing quietly in my head I transformed down into my and sped down the wide hallways to the base's boundaries. I needed to cool down – everything had been so stressful recently, training, meetings, and now I had to go apologise to Prowl too. Fabulous. Revving my engine, I prepared myself for my first real shakedown. I'd barely gotten any time to come and hit the track since I arrived, much to my chagrin, but only now did I realise how good it felt to release _speed_, to just go _fast. _The machine I transformed into, thankfully, had countless brake horsepower and high speed tolerance, so when I finally broke 100mph, I didn't feel like my circuits would fry from effort. Kicking up the dust, I flew across the dirt track into the cool evening air. Just ahead, the sun was sinking below the land, casting rich orange and purple light over the earth, and I really had to admire the strange beauty of this unusual planet. The wide varieties of substances and compounds that made up the ground, and the sometimes erratic breaths of wind that swept over it. As the small breeze skimmed over my chassis I felt a small pang of homesickness. My real home was forever lost, broken beyond repair and lost in the vastness of space, lost to this war which had now taken so much. What had become of us? Split in two, battling till the death. It saddened me to think that there was far too much fuel for the war to end just yet.

Taking my processor off the gloomy thoughts I focused on the drive. I was really racking up the kilometres! The base's outdoor terrain was _huge._ I felt a rush of happiness, the burn in my tires, the wind stroking my panelling, the scenery around me blurring with the speed. Hearing an engine behind me, I spun round and came face to face with none other than the saboteur, Jazz. He commed me,

**"Y'know, you're pretty far out from base – plannin' on comin' back soon?"**

**"Sure, sure. Just... I've not got out in a while."**

He laughed, **"Well, I get it, but Prime wants you back. He's rethinking his strategy. 'S beyond me. Wants your input. Come back now and we'll race?"**

**"Ooh, little mech... You sure you're ready to be left eating dust?"**

**"Hah! Don't be so sure. You've never seen the Jazz-Man's _skills._"**

**"Ooh, I'm scared," I pretended to tremble on my axles. "Try me."**

**"Ready. .. Set... GO!"**

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"So Bumblebee is watching over Samuel and his mate... But what about this Mikeala?" I frowned at Prime, sat across from me in his office. He ran his hand over his face, venting heavily.

"She is not in any immediate danger, whereas the other two are more vulnerable. I-"

"You mean, you've just abandoned her? Even after her loyalty to you?"

Prime winced. "She is no longer a top priority..."

"Sorry, sir, but do you not know the Decepticons? They will use people close to the Autobots to get what they want, and Mikeala has obviously been _very _involved! I suggest you have her guarded more carefully or else I really will fear for her future."

"I'm afraid we simply don't have the men to execute this. I'm sorry Notes, but until there is a definite threat to her safety, no further protection will be issued to the humans."

I stared at him with wide optics. They would really just leave a human femme open to any danger, just discarding her from the equation? Mikeala Banes, at the moment, was just a sitting duck without a guardian. Where was justice in that? They deserted her because she wasn't deemed as _important_ as Samuel? All too familiar with this treatment, I adjusted my gaze on Prime to one of reasonability and sense. "Optimus, I want her to be protected. I ask for your permission to personally guard Mikeala Banes."

Optimus' optics mimicked my own just before, as he stared at me in shock. "Why?"

Was it not a given to him? Or was it just me who saw it this way? I put on m put on m most pleading look, whilst I tried to make him understand. "I frown upon the thought of her coming in harm's way because of our negligence. And because I am now involved in your work here. I have seen these situations before, and she really is vulnerable whilst the Decepticons are still looking to harm us. Please, Optimus. If not for her, just let me show you my dedication."

"Notes..." He shook his head in disbelief. "I see no great problem with this, but... are you ready to take on such a commitment?" I nodded vigorously. "Well, I give you my clearance – you have shown outstanding loyalty and devotion to us; however I need to speak to the human leaders, as you may soon need to approach Miss. Banes with your... offer."

"Thank you." I bowed my head slightly before turning and leaving his office.

"I'm so, so, so sorry! I was misinformed! I didn't mean to sound so rude! I mean, I was never told your correct designation! Please believe me! I know your name now! So, we can leave this resolved, right? I'm really not as impolite as you might think."

I had found Prowl in the main hangar, and promptly gone up to him and lectured him on my innocence.

"It's ok, femme, I forgive you. " He sighed and looked behind me. "I apologise but I really must leave, I need to plan out tactics for speculation. But I'm glad this has been cleared up. I will see you around base, but for now..." He as walked off I got a message from Optimus:  
><em><strong>You're cleared. You may leave as soon as you know where you are headed. Good luck.<br>**_A small smile flicked across my lip plates, before I found a promising looking site for directions, and happily placed my trust in the Google Maps satellite system before zooming out of the base down the desert roads, leaving one last message to all the 'Bots staying behind.

_**::Hasta La Vista, Baby::**_


	4. Welcome to South Gate!

**What's up? ^-^ Yeah, the updates are coming quicker now, so yay! So, there's gonna be a lot of Mikaela from this point. I'll probably go to her POV a few times so watch out for that. And I've decided to help all you lovely people from the US out with my car choice. It's a Peugoet SR1. It's a lot like the Aston Martin DB9. A lot. That's the end of my help. Nah, jut google some pictures up and you'll see my point. Anyway! ENJOY THE CHAPTER MY LOVLIES!  
>And review.<br>Don't forget to review.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except Notes and the ideas.**

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><p>"<em>Baby, baby, baby, OOOOHHH! Thought you'd always be mine, mine!"<em>Bouncing on my axles I drove into South Gate, I activated my holoform and sang along to the most viral song I'd heard during my time on Earth. As I drove down the lane I turned quite a few heads, even after I had turned my tune off. _It's 'cause I'm looking dang _fine! Smirking to myself, I activated a pair of sunglasses for my holoform to slide over its eyes, before opening a window. _I be rollin', and they be hatin', cuz I be rollin'._ Snorting, I scanned the area and found Mikaela Banes' organic energy signature on my radar. Going in her general direction, I ended up parked on the curb, waiting for her to come out of a smoothie bar. I groaned – there were so many people round here! How was I supposed to get her to understand why I'm here? Then a dark haired, tanned girl walked out. She looked around 20 years-old, so I assumed she was my target.

"Girl!" using my holoform, I held my arm out of the window, beckoning her over. She looked at me confusedly, but came up to the window and bent down.

"Hey... What's up?" She looked at me curiously, absently stroking my paintjob. I ran a hand through my holographic hair before switching it off.

"HOLY FUCK!" Her yell made numerous passers-by stop and stare at us.

"Mikaela Banes, would you please come with me?" I asked politely through my radio. The girl's eyes ballooned before rolling back into her skull as she passed out, falling backwards. "Mikaela Banes?" Activating my holoform once more, I rushed out of my and crouched beside her, slapping her cheeks, trying to get her to regain consciousness. As I was there, another girl walked out of the bar, with similar but different features to the earthling I was trying to help.

"Did someone say my na-" She stopped abruptly, eyes widening as they fell on me. "Oh my gosh, KATIE?" She rushed over, shooing me away to take my place and copy what I was doing before, slapping her cheeks. "Babe, c'mon, wake up!" Turning to face me, she glared and screeched, "What did you _do_?"

"I-" Stammering, I stared at her, realising _this _was the Mikaela Banes I was looking for. _Well frag._ Suddenly, the girl below us gasped and her eyes snapped open. As she sat up again, she glanced around at all the people on the sidewalk that had stopped to stare at us. Then her eyes fell on me, before leaning to look around me at my . They, once again, ballooned.

"Th-th-the car... It's n-not... You're not..." she seemed at a loss of words before she whispered, "Some shit they put in those smoothies..." My holoform flickered slightly, making the girl's eyes widen, again, before she fell back, _again_, with a dreamy sigh. Mikaela whirled at me. I shook my head at her.

"Do you have a car?" I asked.

"No, we took the bus," she replied, narrowing her eyes at me as if she could look through me.

"Right. Frag, well..." I sighed and look back to my . I still had a disguise to keep in front of all those nosy people surrounding us. "You get her front end, I'll get her legs."

We hauled Katie into the car, before getting into the front so I could start my engine. I looked at Mikaela. "Where are we going?"

"21 Park Lane. Just go straight. So, please tell me what that was about?"

"Mmm..." Not whilst we still had the other fleshling in hearing range. I started to plan my way about the situation. "So do you live at 21 Park Lane or is this Katie's home?"

"What? No, I don't live here." She gave me a strange look. "What's it to _you_? Anyway, answer my question!"

Hm... If what I'd heard about Sam was correct, he was probably quite scared of her just before they broke up. She was awfully... Feisty. "I..."

Heavy panting was suddenly heard from the back seat as Katie regained consciousness once more. I glanced at her in the mirror and found her glancing wildly around the interior of the car. Her gaze then fell on me, her eyes brimming with fear and apprehension.

"Mikey, why, _why_ are we in this _stranger's_ car?" She glared at Mikaela when she turned to face her.

"Well considering you were completely out, and I had no other way of getting you back home without pouring a bucket full of ice cold smoothie on you so you'd wake back up and we could get on the bus, I'd say this was the kindest option." Mikaela returned her glare when Katie's eyes narrowed.

"Are you saying you gave this _total stranger _my address?"

"Oh no, we're just going to DisneyLand so I can finally meet Minnie Mouse."

"You idiot," Katie breathed. "This _freak _just disappeared into thin air! She could be some sort of... magical psychotic murderer for all we know! And now she knows where I live! Mikaela Banes, you are _so _in my burn-book for, like, _life_ now."

I took this time to intervene before the femmes engaged in a 'bitchfight'. I read those could turn out quite nastily. I didn't want any blood spilt in my new interior. "If it helps this situation, it is not in my main interests to kill you, and I'm far from magical. I also took one of your 'Mentality Tests' and I'm quite positive I'm not psychotic. So, does this cancel out your worries Miss Katie?"

"Well... Well... Well..." Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to find something to retort with.

"Aw, look Katie! We're at your house," Mikaela purred. "I guess you'll be leaving now, hm?" She swung the door open and got out so Katie could leave for her house. As Katie climbed over the seat to get out, I murmured in her ear,

"I'm so sorry I shocked you. I didn't realise you were so into cars." She glowered at me.

"_You freaking disappeared_!"

I laughed at her, "What do you think I am? Some sort of back-from-the-future ninja out to kill you?" I shook my head at her. "Nah, I'm not that cool. I'm too hot." I flashed her a grin.

She huffed at me and left the car, flipping Mikaela off as she passed her. Mikaela promptly stuck her tongue at her before climbing back into the car. She shot me an apologetic look. "Sorry about her, she's weird."

I sniggered. "I've met worse... But anyway, I need to talk to you." I glanced at her from the corner of my holographic eye. She was absently staring out the window.

"Shoot." She ordered.

"Well, firstly: Where are we going?" I smiled as she blinked, shocked.

"Oh yeah..! Huh, wow. Um, BC Cycles – go left! Go left! Yeah, it's just in the right here now. OK thanks." I stopped in the small car park outside the little garage.

"Mikaela Banes?"

"Uh... Yeah, that's my name." She looked at me playing with her hands nervously, obviously wondering how I knew her.

"I don't know how to go about this but..."Glaring at the ceiling of my interior, I once again flickered my holoform off. Mikaela's mouth popped open. "I'm gonna be watching out for you for a while."


	5. 5 Unexpected Problems

**Hey guys. So this one took a while, I found it kinda hard to write... but I'm back! So yeah. I really hope this fic isn't... well, too crap for you all. I mean, I'm gonna keep on going with it because I really enjoy writing it but if there's anything that could be better please please _please_ let me know!  
>And please review. Reviews motivate me.<br>Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except Notes, which is cool... ;)**

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><p>"Oh my God..." She breathed, staring at me in shock.<p>

I activated my holoform again, to smooth out some of the awkwardness. I don't know why I thought it would... It didn't..."Yeah, um... I didn't think it was right to just leave you without, y'know, fortification. Uh... Oh! I _am _an Autobot by the way." I let out a nervous chuckle. "I-"

"_Why _are you here?" Her face slowly contorted with confusion and... anger?

"I just said, I'm gonna watch out for you for a while." I gave her a goofy grin. "I mean, you're a girl, I'm a girl," that... was _too _weird to say, "we're totally rocking that 'girl power' I've heard you humans mention!"

"No!" Mikeala screeched, her eyes narrowed dangerously at me. Ugh, these humans were so strange. She should be happy to see me – I'm looking out for her!

"I'm quite confused, will you please-" _Okay, _seriously – _what's with the cutting in? _I glared at her, before she exploded.

"_I _left Sam, okay? I left him with Wheelie and Bones, and I came back here, okay? Do you want to know _why_ I left him?" I nodded mutely, my glare slowly slipping off my face. "Because he _didn't need me! _And your Autobots pretty much proved that when they didn't come and find me. I didn't even get a phone call. Not even to check I was okay. Now that's pretty sketchy for a technologically advanced robot, I'd say! You probably think I'm being a bitch, but you _don't know_ how bad it was." She shook her head while her eyes began to well up. "Sam, he just ignored me while he went round town with Bee and everyone, and they didn't notice me. I was just there to give Sam cuddles and wash Bee. It was _so_ obvious they found Sam more important than me. And I don't want to be some sort of... unvalued... _slave_! I want to be loved, and recognised, and not just someone left on the sidelines!" She took a deep breath, fighting back tears, and looked away from me closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. She spoke again, more quietly. "I don't want to be with you guys as that person. So I'd appreciate it if you just left. Just... just go back, and tell them to leave me alone." With one last pleading glance at me, she opened the door and I stared as her retreating figure walked inside the small building.

Well, I'd obviously misjudged the situation very badly. I deactivated my holoform and squirmed uneasily on my axels. Primus, had the girl really felt _that_ unloved? That was never a good way to feel, especially if it was wrong to feel that way. I commed Prime.

**:: Notes to Prime – You there Boss?::**

**::Prime to Notes – I'm here. How are you fairing out there?::**

**::I... Sir, Miss. Banes is awfully... Can you recall her last few days with all of you?::**

**::Of course, but... may I ask why you want this information?::**

**::I have approached her.::**

**::And?::**

**::She refused my guardianship because she felt I wasn't... sincere.::**

**::Oh... But I don't understand why she would feel this way. Please, continue.::**

I vented, Optimus had obviously not taken note of Mikeala's feelings before. How was I supposed to convince her otherwise if I had no clue on how her mind worked? I had not been on Earth when she was with Samuel and the Autobots; I only knew what I'd heard from others. **::She said whilst she was with you all, she felt like a 'slave', and that no-one noticed her or spent time with her. She left Sam because not even**_** he**_** gave her any time.:: **I felt Optimus' shock at my words.

**::So she left because we neglected her.:: **I sensed his pain at the realisation.

**::There's no point in working yourself up over the past, Prime. Focus only on how to fix the present.:: **I paused before trying to console him. **::You couldn't have changed her emotions on your own. I believe it was that Witwicky boy that was at fault. Not you.::** I never liked that boy; he was absolutely not suited to his position in the Autobots' ranks – I had seen his way of life, and of course there had been admirable points to him, but he also had traits. Traits that now included hurting those close to him.

**::Notes, don't try to pin this on any one person. We were all to blame. I just wish I had noticed how she felt, and maybe all of this heartbreak could have been spared. I've just relayed this to everyone, and they have confirmed that nobody was aware she felt this way.::**

**::Well she did. And now I don't know what to do. I'm not a human psychologist! What do I do?::**

**::Notes, calm down. Do you still want to protect her?::**

**::Well yes, but I could use some sort of guidance! I mean, I don't even know the girl!::**

**::Follow your spark. I fear there is no longer much I can do for Mikeala Banes, since she refused our care. You were a trainer back on Cybertron; train Mikeala. Teach her to trust you, if you want to be trusted. I fear I must now leave you, but I wish you good luck. Prime out.::**

Shifting my gaze over the horizon, I decided it would be best if I gave Mikeala some time to get over the shock of having seen me, and pulled out of the run down car park, gaining speed until I hit a quiet freeway where I was left alone with my thoughts. As I drove, I thought up a plan of action.  
><em>Pester until submission.<em>  
>I'd never come across a case when this hadn't worked! I pestered the young femmes in Iacon until they achieved perfection (after teaching them what to do, of course) and after a short period of time they did it! It'd sure be a pain in the aft for Mikeala but... She <em>had<em> to learn I had her best interests at heart, as well as her feelings. If only she'd give me a chance to show her...

* * *

><p><em><strong>Third PersonNo-one's POV**_

Mikeala watched through the work-space window as the white car sped out of the car park. She swiped angrily at the few tears that dared roll down her cheek. '_What do they want from me?' _she thought, gazing sadly at her reflection in the dirty pane of glass. She then turned bitter. _'What could they want from me? The she-bot was probably only sent to keep me quiet...'_

Wiping her face angrily with her sleeve, she sighed heavily and strode to the back of the room, climbing the stairs and locking herself into her small bedroom. Inside there was only a single bed, a small window and a chest of drawers. One of the walls was filled with small pictures, mostly of her and her father. Mikeala took one picture down and stared at it glumly. It was of her and her father, when she was only 11. She was draped over a huge motorbike whilst her father was kneeling beside her, and they were both smiling happily. That was before he was sent to prison, before she met Sam, before all of the terror and sadness began. She stroked one finger down her father's face. Before he was shot dead.

She whimpered softly, "Dad... I miss you. I don't know what to do without you. I really wish you were here right now, so you could" She let out a breathy laugh, "help me out. I swear nothing's going right for me right now... I just wish..." a single tear slid down her face, "I wish you were back here with me again." She sniffed miserably and pinned the photo back onto the wall, before climbing onto the bed and wrapped her arms around herself while she let out tiny sobs.

She had no idea that about ten kilometres away, a powerful engine was headed her way.


	6. Hello Again

**Long chappie! I'm quite pleased! So you know the drill. Review!  
>And thank you so much for all the faves, alerts and reviews I've gotten so far. It's all been real nice. :)<br>So here we go! If there's any grammar errors, or anything like that, tell me and I'll try and sort it out.  
>Other than that, ENJOY!<strong>

**Disclaimer:- I don't own anything. Except Notes. And that arsehole, Jeremy. Bleh.**

* * *

><p>The scenery blurred by as I sped back into town. I was so pleased with myself, and my Plan Of Action. It was bound to work! Bringing my stereo to life, I filtered the internet for more of this strange Earth music and discovered a song by a group, oddly designated Daft Punk. Humans... What strange creatures. I internally rolled my optics before deciding to give it a try.<em><br>Buy it, use it, break it, fix it,  
>Trash it, change it, mail - upgrade it,<br>Charge it, point it, zoom it, press it,  
>Snap it, work it, quick - erase it,<br>_This was... different. But if I continued to listen to it my processor would fry. I came off the frequency and searched for more of this Justin Bieber; I really found the youngling's harmonies quite intriguing. I closed the irritating tune in search of more favourable sounds. Or... I tried. As I tried to terminate the link my frequency engager glitched, consequentially freezing my connection on the program. My fuel tanks churned in dread. There were still seven kilometres to go, and I'd heard the traffic at this time of the day was simply awful! I had at least twenty earth minutes of driving left, and if I continued listening to this mentally handicapped pit-spawn commanding me to 'work it' I _would_ offline myself!  
><em>Touch it, bring it, Pay it, watch it,<br>Turn it, leave it, start - format it.  
><em>Oh my Primus. I could feel my circuits melting. No, no, no, frag this ridiculous 'World Wide Web' – making my servers malfunction! Gah! In pure desperation I revved my engine and pegged it down the fast lane on the highway, almost playing chicken with several particularly dopey earthlings, who in return sent me some rather creative word sequences and a blast of their horn. But that was not what embarrassed me. It was the fact that almost every human I passed, no matter how fast I overtook them, heard the freakish music flaring from my speakers and gave me rather alarmed, strange looks. Fragging virus infested, primordial, idiotic Earth Servers!

_**Third Person/No-one's POV**_

Heaving a sigh in frustration, Mikeala slammed the cupboard door. There was no food at all, and whilst she had no appetite she needed to eat something. Looking out the window Mikeala saw the sky getting dark and groaned when she remembered she'd have to _walk_ to the small Wal-Mart round the block – she was still saving money for another moped. Grabbing her leather jacket, purse and iPod she set out the building, her left ear plugged with an earphone, striding swiftly down the lane. It was coming to the end of fall now, but the year had gone so slowly. From one painful thing to the next, Mikeala was slowly losing her quirky, feisty charisma in place for something lesser, something numb and detached. Her breathes became shorter and heavier, not in exhaustion but in leeway for tears. '_More tears? Really, girl. Get a grip.' _She sniffed, looking ahead distantly as she passed Bolivia's Finest Quality Used Cars. No transformers lay in waiting there anymore. No transformer would be around here at all now. At least not for her, seeing as she'd sent the last one she'd possibly ever see again away. But she felt no remorse for doing what she did. That robot didn't have any right to be here. Trying to convince her she was there for her own good when all she had done was resurface memories. Turning the corner she heard blaring horns in the distance, and she shook her head with a smirk. Imagine how quiet it would be if those drivers realised that some cars were actually living beings...  
>Finally reaching Wal-Mart she unplugged her ear and grabbed a basket, making her way over to the readymade meals. If there was one thing she could not do, it was use the oven. Grabbing a few low-fat, inexpensive chicken curries and pastas she moved to get cereal, milk and, finally, cigarettes before checking out. There was a middle aged woman at the till, and she rolled her eyes as Mikeala placed her basket down. Just as the woman started scanning her items, she quickly snatched a pack of Keystone Amber Light and put it in her basket. The woman paused to glance up at her broodingly.<p>

"Are you sure you're over 21, sunshine?" she drawled disapprovingly.

"I'm 21," Mikeala retorted.

"Got ID?"

Mikeala narrowed her eyes and rummaged around in her bag for her license. She growled quietly when she couldn't find it. "No, but I'm 21." She flashed her a nervous, pleading smile. "I left my license at home. My bad."

"Sorry darlin'. Not this time." She shook her head and reached out for the booze. A man clad in a black, all-weather, hooded jacket and dark grey baggy jeans started to walk their way, with a raised eyebrow.

Mikeala held the cans away from the woman's grasp. "Please, ma'am. I really need them."

"Hon, give them to me. Next time, remember your ID for me." She took the cans from Mikeala and started putting them behind the counter until the man came up by Mikeala's side and leaned over to the woman.

"She's with me. Sell that to us, if you would love." He spoke in a rough London accent, with a sneer beneath his mock-polite tone.

The woman nodded grudgingly, suspicion in her eyes as she bagged Mikeala's items. "That's $25.67, please."

Mikeala put $27 in her outstretched palm and muttered, "Keep the change," before shooting a thankful, if not slightly wary, glance at the man stood next to her and walked off out of the store with her bags. The man promptly followed her suite, leaving the woman at the checkout bellowing at him to pay for his kitchen scissors.

"Hey there, girlie! Do I not even get a thank you?" He hollered to Mikeala down the small, quiet alleyway.

Her hands clutched tightly around the plastic handles of her shopping bags as her palms began to sweat. Her eyes widened in fear before she put happy mask on and turned around. "Oh yeah, sorry. Thank you so much. That was really... cool, what you did back there. So thanks!" She gave him a small smile.

He grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, what can I say? I'm your knight in shinin' armour." He crossed his arms and slowly walked towards her. "So I do you a favour, do I get one back?" His eyes raked up and down her frame as he dampened his lips.

Mikeala's eyes widened, a small voice inside her head screaming at her. _'Oh shit, oh shit. LEAVE, gosh damn it! Oh why, God? WHY? You need to get outta here! Scat!' _She once again tried to control her face and plastered another, more apologetic smile at him. "Oh, see normally I would but I gotta go. I have somewhere to go. So, I guess I'll just see you around, yeah?" She tried to turn around, but a hand on her arm stopped her.

"Oh, that's really bollocks then, isn't it? See, I don't normally do all that 'Good Samaritan' lark, and when there's a fit bird like you gracing my presence..." He flashed her a toothy grin. "Well, I guess what I'm sayin' is I want something back." His grin turned into a smirk, his eyes darkening with malice and almost animalistic lust.

"Oh, well- Um... See I... I- Okay, firstly, please can you let go of me? Let go of me, please?" She frowned, her smile fading. "Come on, damn it!"

The man adjusted his hold on her so that he was gripping her wrist. "Aw, sweetie! Your haste to leave... It just hurts my feelings!" He frowned. "How 'bout we make a compromise? Yes? I'll let you get on your way if you give me a kiss. How 'bout that, gorgeous? What dya say?" His grin returned as his grip on her wrist tightened.

"What do I say?" She whimpered quietly. "I'd... Um... I'd really like it if you'd just let me leave." She said softly, dread lacing her words.

"Aw, darlin'... This won't take too long. I promise." He stroked her hair before yanking it so that she looked straight up at him.

Mikeala dropped her bags and started clawing at his chest. ""No, no, no, NO! Let me GO!" she screeched. He pulled her hair further whilst beaming at her, ceasing her frantic scratching.

"Please," he pouted, "Be good."

_**Notes POV**_

I had my scanners on at full, humming to myself as I located Mikeala's signature and tracked it down. Eventually, I'd ended up terminating my frequency receptors – I didn't have left the mental capacity to be able to take that... _thing_ any longer. I shuddered on my axels. That was one thing that would be haunting my processors for a while to come. It was turning to nightfall and the light was lessening, so I activated an infra-red lens and kept on rolling down the quieting streets. The street lamps were on and the sky was a navy blue, the moon slowly rising. I couldn't get over the alien beauty of the planet, even with its strange inhabitants. Suddenly, I heard a female shouting and glanced around frantically, pausing when a civilian paused at an alleyway and looked down, before jogging along with her phone to her ear. _Wouldn't it be just my luck if that femme screaming happens to be my charge... _Quieting my growling engine I drove smoothly to the alleyway and peeked down. _Fabulous, just fabulous. Now I have to get involved in this farce._ I cringed when I saw the Mikeala. She was with a tall and sturdy man, and he had her backed up against a wall with a hand in her hair, trying to force himself on her.  
>Well I doubted my current holoform's appearance would scare this bastard. I looked around the street, but found no man that looked satisfyingly menacing. <em>What to do, what to do..?<em> An idea then came to me out of the blue. Human's didn't tend to have identical look-alike's that weren't related to them in any way, and I figured having one see one would sincerely freak them out. I saw those horror movies - Mirrors, Black Swan; MAN were those fleshies freaked. Humming to myself, pleased, I scanned the offending male and activated my newly modified holoform. I looked at my, once again, organic hands and grimaced. This male had absolutely disgusting cuticles and dirt under his nails. Shuddering, I stepped out into the alley and crossed my arms, waiting for him to notice me.

"You... will... _behave, _ya little... _whore!_" He growled at her, squeezing her cheeks with his hand. She narrowed her eyes at him dangerously, and slapped her hand to his face digging her long nails in. He stepped back shaking his head, stunned, and then froze with wide eyes staring at her. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, as she desperately tried to catch her breath. "There was no reason for that, my love," he hissed before glaring at her perilously. "You _will_ regret that. Looks like I'm gonna have to teach you some man–" He froze, his head whipped round to me, the pure anger in his eyes replaced by shock and disbelief. His mouth hung open, his last word still right on his tongue as he stared.

"Jeremy Watson. Jerry." I drawled. "What is this, hm?" I was all too aware that I sounded like a teacher scolding a child. What can I say?, once you got it, it never leaves you.

"Uh... Erm... Wh-uhh..." He stuttered, now standing to face me, having completely forgotten about Mikeala by his side, whose eyes had ballooned.

I'd already found his online files. He was a criminal, though and through, with a history of assault and robbery, however as much as I wanted to _hurt_ this man I couldn't – it was against the rules I now abided by. Much to my annoyance. "Yeah, that's what I thought." I glared, slowly shaking my head. "What I'm really shocked by is your audacity. Good Pri- God!" I shut my eyes for a second, holding my hands out. "Lie on the ground where I can see you before I come over there and _hurt _you."

He snapped out of his faze then. "Ha! What are you? My subconscious? The Holy Spirit Within Me? Don't make me laugh. Why should I listen to you? You're not even real. Y'know, I never was into all that voodoo lark." He turned back to Mikeala, who had been slowly inching her way towards the main road at end of the lane, and grabbed the top her arms. "Where are you going?" he snarled.

I narrowed my eyes, and in my true form, ignited the engine. "One more time, Jerry. Let her go, and get on the ground."

He looked sharply at me. "No!"

Mikeala whimpered as his grip visibly tightened. I raised an eyebrow. "Really, now? Okay then. Your bad." I deactivated the holoform and swerved round the corner in my , headlights shining intensely down the path. I heard Mikeala wailing a continuous stream of profanities, incessantly getting louder as she shouted while I got nearer. Jerry immediately let go of her and bolted away from me, but to no avail. With a final rev of my engine I surged forward and knocked him down to the ground. I gunned my engine as he groaned into the cold, hard tarmac, and sneered at the pathetic sight before me. "When I ask you to get down, you _will_ get down." I heard sirens getting closer. "I'll be leaving the police to you now, Jerry. Have fun explaining why you're not already in a jail cell for assault." I noticed Mikeala behind me, grasping her right arm tightly. I reversed smoothly. "How did you expect to be safe from Decepticons when you go round gathering trouble from your very own race?" I murmured through my radio. "Are you okay?"

She scrunched up her face as she swallowed. "N-no..." She brought her hand away from her arm and frowned when it was marked with blood. Her whole body was trembling.

I let out a low whine. "You wanna get in?" I had no intention of leaving her here alone with the male until the cops came, but I had no idea how she felt about me still being around.

"N-"She hissed suddenly, in pain I presumed. "Right." She jogged to retrieve her shopping bags from the sidewalk before climbing through my already open door and, sitting stiffly in the passenger seat. I squirmed slightly beneath her. She was all _oily_ and uncomfortably cold. I blasted hot air through to her.

"You are injured." She rolled her eyes and then nodded slightly. "Reveal your wound."

She carefully moved her hand aside, and bared a stab wound. "He got me with scissors," she spoke softly. "He did it... real quick."

I hummed, scanning for infection. "The wound is more or less clean, but that's not your only injury, correct?"

Mikeala's eyes widened before she looked up at the rear-view mirror and felt her slightly bruised jaw. "Oh God," she whimpered.

I carried on. "You'll be feeling tender on you left arm and cheek because of the bruises, and after the trauma your scalp has endured, I would lay off any fancy styling or colouring for the while. As for you stab wound, I'm taking you to the hospital right now for proper treatment. I'd imagine all you need is a bandage, because he, thankfully, missed any major blood vessels."

"Don't... Don't take me to the hospital. Just... I have a first aid kit at home, I'll use that."

"I'd rather you saw a doctor. If not for the bodily damage, for your mental health. You have to be pretty traumatised; you nearly got raped."

She sighed heavily before moaning, "Why do you care? I asked you to leave, remember?"

"Because, despite what you think, I'm here for you, girl. Primus, you'd make this a thousand times easier if you'd just co-operate a little bit more." I whined. How long would I be saying this now?

She furrowed her eyebrows for a second before sagging into the seat. "Just take me home, please." I went ahead with her command, and we drove on in silence. As we came to her home, she spoke again. "So that was you? Before, I mean. The guy. You were him?"

I chuckled a little. "Yeah, that was me. Pretty cool, huh?"

She made an odd, confused face. "How? I mean, I've never seen any of the others change their holoforms."

I snorted. "I'm magical."

"Oh yeah." She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, though. That's really... I didn't know you could do that."

"It's only a projection. I can manipulate it into any living body of matter of which there is either a biologic or technologic identity that I am able to access and scan. As long as I am able to see and breathe through the projection, the changes aren't really such a great deal. Don't have a cow." I said the last part mockingly, and got a huff in response.

"Yeah, well. It's cool, I guess." She mumbled.

"Thanks." I replied as I pulled into the small parking lot. "Here we are."

She looked out the window. "Thanks. Well I'll be going."She stepped out onto the sidewalk. I turned on my original holoform in the driver seat, and beckoned her back over.

"I'd rather you let me come with you so I can be sure you aren't lying about your mental stability." I said through the window.

She cocked an eyebrow. "Really now?" I nodded my head affirmatively. She sighed. "Let's go then." She paused. "Don't think this is gonna be a preppy, happy slumber party. I still don't want you following me around, okay?"

I sighed. "Right." I drawled. I turned off my engine and then followed her into the building. "Wow, this sure is happy." I thought aloud, but after receiving a rather nasty look, I peeped a 'Sorry' and kept my mouth shut. _Jeez, don't mess this up now, Notes. This is the biggest amount of hospitality she's shown you this whole time._ I smirked to myself. Maybe I would grow on her...

* * *

><p><strong>FTJ!<strong>


	7. Cooking Mama!

**OH MY GOSH! I AM SO, SO, SO, SO, SO, SO SORRY! EVERYTHING'S BEEN REALLY HECTIC! THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE ACTUALLY GOTTEN ON THE COMPUTER IN, LIKE, 3 WEEKS!  
>Seriously, I've been in hell. I was in a car crash, and then my grandma went to hospital, and then I had Christmas shopping, and then I had 4 exams in 2 days... You get the picture?<strong>

**The freaky thing is... The van that killed the car, it had little blue lights by each of its headlamps! Like optics, man! Freaky stuff, freaky stuff. =L  
>And yes. Our little car is in car heaven... RIP. And my little iPhone (The Yetti ;D) is in iPhone heaven too... IT'S ALL SO DEPRESSING! Oh yeah, and my friend is clinically depressed too. Major Suckage... Nah, it's worse than sucking, it's deep throating.<strong>

**But I'm really sorry... Forgive CrazyJamaicanLocks...? *Puppy Dog Face***

**So here y'all are. ENJOY!**

**(PS - I just wrote this now, no joke, so sorry for any errors.)**

* * *

><p><em><strong>No-one's POV<br>**_Raindrops, gently pattering on the window, woke her from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes and groggily rose from the small bed. Letting out a great yawn and stretching her arms high above her head, she sauntered to the window and looked out over the town, frowning when she saw the European car parked right by the side of the building, seemingly having not moved since the night before. _The night before._ Mikeala winced as all the memories came back to her. Her thoughts travelled back to Jeremy, and she mentally made a small prayer that he was in jail, where he belonged. With a sigh she trudged to the bathroom and jumped in the shower, letting the boiling hot water relax her tense muscles. After washing and drying her hair Mikeala threw on her trusty sweats and prepared for a big lazy day in, trotting down the stairs to make breakfast. She then came to an abrupt halt at the bottom of the staircase. Her nose was detecting something fishy, or rather, _eggy_. Making a face, Mikeala jogged to the small kitchen and widened her eyes at what she saw. Notes, Holo-Notes, was juggling a frying pan in one hand and a bowl of grated cheese in the other, with the radio blasting out Shakira. An eyebrow slowly rose, and Mikeala gave a small cough, subtly letting her presence be known. Notes, who was currently facing slightly away from the doorway Mikeala was in, jumped with a small yelp, however somehow kept her grasp on the utensils in her hands and snapped her head up to the questioning young adult silently watching.

"Oh, you're up!" she exclaimed with a grin. When Mikeala didn't reply she hummed quietly to herself and continued, in efforts to break the dawning awkward silence."I thought I'd make you breakfast, I just found out how you humans need regular fuelling so I learnt how to cook! Now, then," she tilted the pan towards Mikeala. "I made an... omelette, is it? Yeah, I made you an omelette and it's got eggs in it! And cheese! And ham!" Mikeala walked forward and looked at the alien's cooking with interest, but remained silent. Notes once again noted the dawning silence and chirped, "So yeah. That's all for you. And it looks yummy! Well no... It doesn't to me, I'll be honest, but it should to you! And it's got protein in it, so you should be very grateful to me, missy. Am I being nice to you?" Notes' face lit up again before she twisted round to put the now empty bowl on the counter, but kept the omelette in her hand. She turned to face Mikeala again. "Now, do you eat this outta the pan or..." Mikeala made a disbelieving face and a small smirk. "No, of course you don't. I knew that. So I'll just, uh, dish up." Twirling around, Notes placed the pan back on top of the cooker and stretched up to raid the cupboards. Mikeala intervened then.

"No, no, no. It's okay, they're here." She reached down and opened a separate door, taking a plate from there and placing it by on the counter. "I'll do it, it's fine." She grabbed a knife and proceeded to almost shovel the omelette out of its resting place. Once it was on the plate, she frowned down at it. It certainly looked... Interesting. She glanced up at Notes, who had her arms crossed and was looking around the room with interest. "Hey, you wanna come through?" she asked before walking to the living room and plopping onto the couch, turning on the TV. Notes perched herself at the other end of the couch and leant forwards at the screen. It was a car chase show on.

"Hah, I knew a guy who had an just like that Lotus... Oh, the memories." She mused. She turned towards Mikeala who was lifting the fork to her mouth. She quickly ingested the mouthful and made a small, appreciative noise as she chewed. "How is that? Be honest." Notes asked.

After swallowing the bite, Mikeala stared at her. "It's actually _really_ nice... How'd you know how to make this, you're not even human!" she asked, bewildered.

Notes chuckled. "The world wide web, and my shockingly fabulous skill at adapting." She said proudly. She turned back to the TV. Silence then fell over the two as they both watched the cop-show, one with disinterest but the other with shock. "I never realised how blatantly reckless humans could be with their lives..." Notes murmured. "Please tell me you haven't driven like this." She said to Mikeala, who cocked an eyebrow.

"Noooo...?" she drawled, however it wasn't reassuring in the slightest. Mikeala didn't dwell on the subject, before asking, "Notes?"

Notes exhaled heavily, unhappily, and folded her arms. "Yeah?"

"Why are you still here?" She said with a sigh. "I mean, I asked you to go back. I asked you to go back _ages _ago."

"Yes. you did. Didn't you..." Notes muttered. She stared at the wall morosely for a few moments before replying with her carefully composed answer. "I happen to know things... which make it _necessary_ for me to be here. And you know things too." She gestured to Mikeala. "You know what exactly I am," Mikeala pulled a face, "who Optimus Prime is, what the Allspark is... And the Autobots know you also. You know what a lot of people would _kill_ to know. You are one of only a few, Mikeala." She said, and then shot her a pleading look. "Can't you see how perfect you would be to the Decepticons as a hostage? You have had no one around here monitoring the area for 'Cons, no where safe to go if something _did_ happen, no one to note your absence, or suspect anything had happened to you until you appeared on the news... The list goes on!" She flapped her hands about in distress. "It's very concerning. So, that's why I'm here." She finished.

Mikeala frowned, mulling things over. "But I can't be with you, all day, every day. I have stuff to do. I mean, you'd be _very_ bored. And... I hardly even know you."

"Psh! Please. Do I not make a good enough first impression to make you want me with you forever?" She joked. "And I'm not a pet, sweetie. I can look after myself. I can also look after you." Notes flashed Mikeala a small smile. "You done with that plate?" She held her hand out as she stood.

"Right. Um, thanks."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Back at Base<strong>_

"I can't believe you let the femme out. We had her with us for just over a month, Prime! You can't seriously _trust_ her. She was a _Decepticon_!" Ironhide growled, cannons blazing from the intense target practise.

"I believe I do trust the femme, Ironhide. She has been nothing but co-operative these past few weeks. Honest, also. And if she _did_ want to rebel against us, she has no one to help her, and no one to work with her. This, I believe, is her way of showing us she is trustworthy. How can I deny her that chance?" Optimus replied.

"You trust too easily, Optimus. She could be planning anything." Ratchet stated. "How did the human government even allow this?"

"They have faith in us. We did, after all, save their planet." He responded. "As for your fear of her revolt, she is reporting to me regularly, and she must return every 6 months for a systems check and updates. We are not completely cut off from her."

The three mechs stood in a small circle in the shooting range. A soldier paced in from the main hangar, with a stressed expression, and called out, "Prime!"

The bot knelt down to him, so he wouldn't strain his voice shouting up at him. "Yes, soldier?"

"The analysts have detected an energy signature coming in from the East. It's not moving with huge speed but it's definitely headed this way at the moment, sir." He hollered.

"Okay, tell them I'm on my way." He nodded and jogged off. The Prime vented and rose again. "Good day Ratchet, Ironhide." He nodded at them and walked after the soldier.

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><p><em><strong>?<strong>_

:::::_ ESITIMATED TIME TO DESTINATION – 7 DAYS :::::_

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><p><strong>Hahaha! The Ring! Did you get that? ^^^ Oh boy...<strong>

**Please Review!**

**Hope it was OK!**


	8. Let's Go Out

__**Oh my gosh, I'm so so so sorry for the... 3 month wait! :$ But it's not been the best Xmas holiday ever... I've had funerals, exams, hospital trips... The list goes on. But things are brightening up again now, so I guess you could say I'm back! But I'M REALLYREALLYREALLY SORRY!  
><strong>**Now then, if the next update's not out by next Friday, expect it in a fortnight-ish - I'm going to Switzerland! ^=^ I REALLY hope you can forgive me for being so negligent with my updates! I, as you can probably tell, am quite new to writing stuff like this... Add to that complete hecticness (and yes, I know that's not a word -_-) and voila! you have my irregualar update pattern. But I can tell you right now, I absolutely will not stop writing this story until it's finished. Even if there's another long-ass wait. IT VILL BE DONE!**

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><p><em><strong>No-ones POV<strong>_

A smile slowly spread its way over Mikeala's face as the outrageous music she'd never dare play out in public blared out of her earphones. But that didn't stop her from loving it; it had the perfect running beat and a corny, cheerful mood that lifted her spirits so much she had it set on replay on her small iPod Nano.

**Come and smile,  
>Don't be shy.<br>Touch my bum.  
>This is life.<strong>

It was still morning in South Gate and everywhere was quiet, the calm before the crazy summer rush of midday. Mikeala was nearing home again after her weekly two-block jog, and the smile lingered on her face at the sight of the sporty little car pulling into the drive just before her. She twisted her earbuds around her iPod and shoved it into her pocket as she lightly knocked on the bonnet of the car in greeting, before digging out her keys and striding through the door. She left it open for Holo-Notes, knowing she'd shut it behind her, and threw her keys and iPod onto the kitchen table smirking as she heard the door close.

"Hey, Notes? I'm just gonna shower real quick, but can we go out after?" Mikeala said, spinning to face her.

"Sure we can! Where're we going?" Notes' face brightened up at the mention of a road-trip, having not had much time to explore Earth, what with brig-time and questioning.

"Well, I need to go to the mall, but other than that we can do whatever," she replied, smirking at how Notes lit up like a Christmas tree at the end.

"Cool! Awesome! Well, you go and get ready. We are gonna have so much fun. Oh my gosh. Go on. Shoo! Leave." Notes ushered Mikeala out of the room causing a fit of giggles to consume the human woman as she trotted off to the bathroom.

What Mikeala forgot was that she left her iPod on the table, vulnerable and crammed to the brim with old and sometimes shocking playlists and songs, all alone with one _very_ nosy alien.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Back at base<strong>_

Optimus scoured at the screen presented before him, with the energon signatures dotted across a live map of Earth, or more specifically, one _very_ familiar energon reading slowly making its way directly towards the US. Epps turned his head towards him.

"You recognise it, Prime?"

The mech nodded his great head, shuttering his optics briefly as he gave a small vent. "Wildrider," noticing many of the soldiers' blank expressions he explained to them his wariness. "He is a stunticon, well known amongst many for his deranged nature and his excessive bloodlust." Eyes widened around him.

"Worse than 'Screamer?" a soldier exclaimed. "Damn..."

"Wildrider is certainly one of the most psychotic within his ranks, which, essentially, is what makes him so deadly. We must proceed with caution." Prime's optics shone with determination. "When was his path determined?"

An analyst swivelled round in her chair, her deep brown eyes enlarged with her thick, rectangular glasses. "We noted his presence only hours ago, but since then his course hasn't altered from this straight line from the East. We suspect this 'Wildfire' is moving through the North Atlantic Ocean, seeing as we've found nothing in the way of sightings or large-scale incidents within neighbouring countries, and your character analysis tells me he doesn't really do 'undercover' or 'subtle' very well." She cocked an eyebrow and turned back round to her computer screen. "But why would he be alone? What's he doing?" She sighed in frustration, and went back to sifting through endless, government protected, military files.

Epps leaned in towards Lennox. "Hey, yo. Who's she?" he inquired quietly.

Lennox spared him a quick look, before staring at the female analyst. He slowly tilted his head back towards Epps and murmured, "I don't know... Just be quiet."

"Karen," she said curtly, her voice laced with the Queen's British accent. The two men's mouths popped open, shocked and embarrassed she actually heard them, however hastily composed themselves and turned their attention back to the meeting at present.

"I suggest we employ three units to search from the skies, as well as two of my mechs to target and eliminate the threat. We cannot afford another mainland attack." Optimus went through his line of mechs in his processor, as words were thrown across the room about the 'who's' and the 'when's' of the upcoming operation.

* * *

><p><em><strong>On the Highway<strong>_

"So..." Mikeala was sat in the driver's seat, leaning back with a huge pair of sunglasses perched precariously on top of her head, while Notes drove her to Southgate Mall. The roof was down and they were gliding down the highway, dim music floating through the stereo. Mikeala looked at the dashboard, suspicious at the curious lack of babbling from her newly assigned guardian. "What's got your tongue? It's weird... You're not... You're really quiet..!"

"Hm? Oh, right. Yeah, about that!" The glove compartment flipped open and, in response, Mikeala reached over to grab the little surprise that was waiting inside. She pulled a face.

"So..." she looked questioningly at the small iPod. "You want it?" she asked.

"Oh, no! No, no, no - your technology is simply primitive to me..."

"...Thanks." Mikeala muttered, rolling her eyes.

"I just..." Notes vented before the stereo flicked, once more, through the frequencies before the fizzling quietened and a familiar song came into focus, which immediately made Mikeala blush. "Do you realise how degrading this is? Why is _this_ on your 'Favourites' list?"

Mikeala ducked her head a little, before lifting it again and slamming her hands onto the wheel as they passed yet another car with the closer window completely open, carefully keeping up the image of driving the sports coupe. "Uhm... I've," she stuttered as she came up with an excuse, "-Woah, woah! How do _you_ know that was on there?" Her eyes relaxed their enlarged state as she realised she could turn the tables here. An impish grin escaped her before she put on her Teenager-With-A-Problem face, scrunching her eyebrows and narrowing her eyes. "You were looking through my stuff?"

She heard a scoff, and as they drove through a patch of open road Notes' holoform appeared and pinched the iPod off her, holding it up. "Girl, _please_. I could tell what was on this thing just through the waves it was giving off." Throwing it back to Mikeala's lap she reached for the volume dial. "But _this_?" she shook her head mock-disappointedly as Baby Got Back poured through the speakers even louder than before.

Mikeala gawped at her, before regaining her composure and turning her nose up. "I don't care. It's good."

Notes laughed. "The fact you're trying to defend yourself is even more hilarious."

"It's none of your business! Anyway, I can't believe you went through my stuff!" she retorted turning back to the laughing holoform. "That's borderline stalker. I just thought you should know that."

Notes gasped, feigning her wounded feelings. "I'm your _guardian_! I should be protecting you from the evil in the world! And _th__is_ is beyond ludicrous," she reasoned with a snicker.

"Whatever," Mikeala tsk-ed and twisted to face the window, leaving a hand on the wheel and running a hand through her wind-raped hair. "My musical taste is a lot better now," she replied, irked.

"Oh, so you think _Aqua_ is a step up?" Notes questioned, shocked she wasn't surrendering to the fact her money had been wasted on this..._awfulness_.

Mikeala gasped. "I deleted that!"

"I restored it!"

"_Whyyyy_?" She whined.

"You deserve to hear what you paid for!" Notes scolded, getting a growl in response.

Mikeala turned and stared at her, inspecting the holoforms features. Notes did actually make quite a good-looking human, with a slim, athletic frame and slightly bronzed skin. She had vibrant, dark green eyes and wavy, layered, long hair in a reddish shade of brunette. Well... She _would_ have picked a good-looking form to take, seeing as she could manipulate it into any living body of matter of which there was either a biologic or technologic identity that she was able to access and scan. But even so... She had always thought the 'Bots' holoforms had resembled them in some way. But she'd never seen Notes' true form.

Notes noted her stare and looked straight back at her raising an eyebrow. "What?"

Mikeala squinted a little and then blinked, shaking her head to herself. She gave a small smile. "You're so weird."

Notes tilted her own, and pulled a funny face. "Is that a compliment..? Well.. Urm..." She put on a shy smile and peeped, "Thanks!" before laughing it off. "Anyway. We're here." The roof rose up and over to cover them once more and the doors opened. "You need to go shopping."

Mikeala then realised how new it all must have been for Notes, walking with her through the mall and watching her fascinated expressions. She wondered about how she had lived before, seeing as this was all so different for her.  
>"So you have appointed shops for different age-groups of your kind?" she asked, stunned by it all.<br>Mikeala laughed as she replied, "Yeah. D-" she quickly caught herself. "Didn't you?"  
>She hated to have had to use the past tense when she asked her about her home. She didn't know how they all coped, the Autobots. Having to fight against the possible revival of their planet so that Earth didn't suffer the same fate.<p>

All Mikeala had come for was a pair of summer pumps, but Notes was so new to it she had to take her to the clothes stores to dress up and to experience the Girls Day Out.

By the end of the trip Mikeala had bought pumps, leggings _and_ a mini skirt, and even though she had barely any money left to spend for the remainder of the month, she was left feeling happy.

"So where are you taking me now, my guardian?" Mikeala questioned, feeling very bubbly after their fun little trip.

"Well, my charge, I need to catch some UV rays, and you want your summer tan despite the danger to your skin's health, so we're going sunbathing." She replied through the radio.

"And by that, you mean _I'll_ be sunbathing, and you'll be sitting in your showing no signs of enjoyment at all?" she joked, really not at all minding. Notes had been so nice to her, putting up with her the _whole_ day. She could forgive her for wanting some alone time.

"Oh no! By that, I mean I will be catching some UV rays, and you will be tanning." They turned off the quiet road into a large field surrounded by trees. Not one person was in sight.

"So I get to see you now? This is the big revelation?" Mikeala pulled a shocked face before smiling, and clapped her hands a little, jumping out as soon as the car stopped moving.

Notes vented slightly. She whined, "You're such a sparkling, human," as she giggled. She shut her doors and, for the first time in weeks, transformed up into her bi-pedal. As her transformation finished she pulled a pose she'd learnt from the mall, jutting out her hip and placing a hand on it, the other at the side of her face. "So... Am I sexy?" she asked while staring glassily ahead as if towards a camera.

Mikeala laughed heartily and jogged around her feet, getting a 360° view. The Autobot had an slim, agile looking build, though she was somehow curvier than speedsters like Sideswipe. Her white armour was a stark contrast to the dark grey protoform underneath, and her big, ruby red optics featured on her black and white face. "Uhhh... You're okay." She commented, acting all blasé and unimpressed. She heard a gasp and yelped when a hand grabbed her suddenly, although gently, and she was brought up to a face with the expression of a wounded puppy.

"I'm not sexy?" Notes asked, feigning great sadness.

Mikeala giggled. "Oh my God, of course you are! You're like Arcee but taller... and with two feet."

Notes' large, lipstick red optics widened and her other hand motioned for Mikeala to carry on, until she realised and laughed.

"Oh yeah, and sexier. Yeah. You're such a beaut, it pains me!" Mikeala was laughing heartily, arms wrapped around herself in effort to keep her body still. "I'm so lucky... to have such a... an AMAZING guardian. You're so hot!" She wheezed in between laughs.

The slender femme looked at her condescendingly. An optic ridge rose. "What've you been drinking?" she asked dryly.

"Nothing! It's too early for that!" she sobered up and levelled a glare at Notes before tapping her hand. "C'mon, I want my tan." As soon as she was let down, she promptly sat on the grass, planted her hands behind her and leaned back, head lolling back below her shoulders. Notes sunk to the ground on her stomach and rested her head on her hands, propped up on her elbows. She turned her head to look at Mikeala and gave a chuckle.

"You look so dramatic," she commented, chortling.

"Tch, it's the only way... to catch sunlight and not get my hair wet." Mikeala lifted an arm and shooed her off, otherwise not moving from her position. "Hush."

The two remained in comfortable silence until Notes stiffened and sat up, brushing herself off. Mikeala reopened her eyes.

"What's up?"

"I've got a comm. from Prime." She replied.

Mikeala was shocked, and frowned a little. "Oh. And..?"

"There's a Decepticon approaching the US. Prime's sending forces over to sort him out, but until they take care of him he says we should be a bit more... careful than usual." She glanced over to her. "If the threat's not eliminated in three days I'll be patrolling around this area for a while..."

"How long?"

"Until the threat is eliminated. We should get back."

Mikeala nodded, and climbed in as Notes transformed but noticed the more serious mood immediately. The whole ride back she wondered what caused the drastic shift in Notes' mood.


	9. It's Okay Right?

**GUYS! Happy April! (...?...) Thank you for sticking with me, it makes me really happy to see people do **_**actually**_** like the stuff that comes out of my brain ;] I'm on my Easter Holidays now, but as always I do have exams right round the corner, as well as a pretty li'l pony waiting for me to grab her from the field, so all of this is what's stopping me from updating as...pronto as everyone else. Switzerland was amazing, even though I caught a tummy bug! I didn't twist my knee, which is an improvement! ^o^ Like I said before though, I know I suck with the regularity when I update BUT they will come... So... Bear with me!  
>I've whined and begged a lot, also, I know, but I'm gonna do it again. PLEASE review! You can tell me if you like the story so far, and if I could improve on stuff, what I need to do to make it better... I'd <strong>_**really**_** love that, guys, so if you'd just take the time to press the button at the bottom of the page and send me a quick one! Remember, reviews motivate me...**

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><p><em><strong>Notes' POV<strong>_

I didn't follow Mikeala back inside with my holoform like I normally did. Instead I dropped her off at her door and, whilst keeping my scanners focused on the address, pulled back onto the small roads and cruised round the area. My fuel tanks churned in dread. I mean, I _knew_ the day would come where I'd be meeting my old...comrades again, but it still worried me. Had they been keeping an optic on me? Were they targeting my charge? Endless questions obscuring my thoughts, but above all, my main concern was being able to, if necessary, fight off the threat in a way which reassured the Autobots of my loyalty to them. If I didn't fight well enough... Well, so many things could go wrong. I could be deemed unworthy of fighting for their cause if my prowess was substandard. I could be charged with treason if it seemed I let the enemy get away. That 'bolts-for-brains', Ironhide, _certainly_ wouldn't be very sparing. Venting heavily, I turned down a road laden with small bars and shops, illuminated by its streetlights. This area was so fragile. It would only take one cannon's blast to obliterate the valued possessions and homes of at least half a dozen. Battling, I decided, would be the easiest. It was now the cleanup on my processor. I'd received feedback from the Mission City battle, and seen shots of the vast damage done to the little beings' home. It had taken mere hours to destroy a city on Earth, and that thought frightened me. If I caused extensive damage during combat I would have the worse end of the stick compared to those such as Mudflap and Bumblebee, simply because I was once their foe. And I had yet to completely convince all the Autobots that I was truly on their side. At this point in time, a fragging _cyber-fox_ was in a better position than me. I had to successfully get through not only the task of survival, but also discretion and acceptance. Primus...

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><p><em><strong>No-one's POV<strong>_

Unsure of whether to be annoyed, worried or dismissing, Mikeala entered her humble abode once more, stumbling up to her room so that she could fling her bags onto the bed and unpack her purchases. She hummed to herself as she wandered to the bathroom to wipe the minimal amount of makeup on her face, but paused when the door creaked loudly upon her way in. She raised her eyebrow, but nonetheless quickly ran down to the little storage room downstairs to grab a small bottle of oil. As she dampened the hinges she smiled to herself. Her dad had secretly hated creaky doors. She only knew because when she was smaller, she'd woken up in the middle of the night to her father dabbing away at the kitchen door. It was their secret, and no-one else knew except her. Returning to the bathroom, she threw the oil under the sink and scrubbed at her face in front of the mirror, then tying her hair into a high bun. She grabbed her sweats from yesterday evening and quickly changed into them before marching down the stairs and plopping down onto the couch, flipping through TV channels with the remote. With the amount of time she'd spent being a couch potato this month, this sequence was executed with perfection, almost second nature to the brunette now. Mikeala paid no attention to the television though, despite her constant changing the channels. She, instead, thought of her guardian. Notes _was_ sweet, she decided... She just wished she knew why she was acting so reclusively just now. She could understand why Notes'd be worried about the Decepticon currently on its way to the US, but then, she could be no more scared than Mikeala, surely – and even if she was, it wasn't like she couldn't talk to her! With a perturbed 'hm' she finally settled on keeping the TV on yet another re-run of 'Friends'. As she giggled she took her mind off of the worries and onto the happier thoughts. Her new purchases _were_ amazing. And Notes' big revelation! Mikeala was genuinely thrilled Notes had decided to show her her true form, whilst truly fascinated that the transformers could look _so_ different from eachother yet still work together so... amicably. Well... At least, _one_ faction could work together so amicably. Well... _Most_ 'Bots could work together well. Mikeala's curiosity peaked when she thought back to Notes' optics. They were _red_! She'd only ever seen Autobots with blue eyes, and Decepticons with red.  
>'<em>She never did tell me about her past...'<br>_Had she defected? _Why_? Oh, now she wanted to know! Mikeala bit her lip nervously as a fleeting glance to her watch told her a microwave meal was ready and waiting for her to prep and eat it. Making her way to the kitchen, she glanced out the window to the old motorbikes out in the back. They'd been her projects not so long ago... Maybe she'd start working on them again – she knew plenty of guys that needed a ride, and if she fixed these bikes well she could sell them, and make some more money, as well as preoccupying herself while Notes was gone. As she shoved a ready-made macaroni and cheese into the small, old microwave, she heard the purr of an engine as it left the main road.  
>'<em>Notes!'<em>  
>She jogged out of the kitchen and swung open the front door as her guardian pulled into the yard. As it rolled to a stop before her door the holoform climbed out, smiling at Mikeala apologetically.<p>

"Sorry I left," she said.

"No, it's fine. You don't have to be with me, like, every second," Mikeala laughed in response. "Are you okay?" she asked, more seriously.

The holoform walked up to her and into the house, Mikeala closing the door behind her. "Yeah. Listen," Notes pulled her aside with a serious look, hands on her arms. "I know you're scared-"

Mikeala widened her eyes and quickly interrupted. "What? No-"

"Hush, hush, hush. I saw your face when I told you the 'Con was coming," Notes chastised. Mikeala grimaced briefly, but remained silent, listening intently. Notes checked she was listening before continuing. "I know you're scared but I won't let any Decepticon harm you. None. None at all. And I want you to trust that whatever I'm gonna do, it's with your best interests in mind. You got it? 'Cause I'm your guardian, and your my charge, and what I both want and need is for you to be safe. Okay?"

Mikeala nodded her head slowly, eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah, of course. I mean I trust you and everything, but, um, why are you telling me all this?" She cocked an eyebrow.

Notes blushed (completely confusing Mikeala with that newfound holoform ability) and grinned slightly. "I just wanted to be clear. I've never been a guardian before..." She frowned, gazing off into empty space.

Mikeala reached up and grabbed Notes' wrist, dragging her to the kitchen before dropping it, taking her food from the microwave and sitting down at the table with a fork and a napkin. She looked up shyly. "Notes, can I ask you something?"

"Sure you can!" she replied immediately, confused but now chirpy she'd said what she had wanted to say.

"Erm... Well..." Mikeala stuttered, uncomprehending as to where to start. Eventually she sighed and rolled her eyes from the table back up to Notes' face. "Why are your optics red?"

Notes' eyes widened and she looked away from her charge quickly, fidgeting in her spot. She frowned and turned back, quickly coming to the realisation that she would have had to tell Mikeala sooner or later. "They're red because I used to follow under Megatron's command," she replied honestly. Mikeala looked shocked for a moment, fully expecting her denial, or for her previous assumptions to be waved off, but she regained her composure and nodded for Notes to go on. Notes sighed, but shuffled back to sit on the counter and tell Mikeala what had happened. She sat down and leaned forward, cupping her chin in her hand. "We used to rank on power; on your skill in battle and ability in strategies. I was ranked...pretty good for a femme, actually, but it was 'Cons like me, _femmes_, which were in the rarity. They had so much energon on _my_ head, and I quickly became a mere target to my associates; a target to take out, a way to get to the top." Notes smiled wistfully and carried on. "When Megatron realised there were more Autobots on their way, _plotting_ against him, he was outraged. He decided he needed a larger, trained army to eliminate the enemy's allies before they could do any real harm. He then became truly conscious of the fact I was a femme, and wanted to use me to give him numerous sparklings. Hi-" Seeing Mikeala's confused face, Notes elaborated. "Babies. Sparklings generally means babies." Mikeala's expression cleared and she nodded to herself. "Anyway, his soldiers were needed on the battlefield – despite what you think, there really aren't that many 'Cons around to serve – so they had no time to carry a bunch of sparklings. But me? I was weaker than his mechs, even if I had more skill, but I could be even more useful staying out of the way, sparking and strategising with whoever was guarding base at the time." Mikeala made a disgusted sound. "It was then that I started thinking about what I was fighting for, and who I was fighting in earnest. So... Well, a bit of talking, lying and fighting later, and I'm here with you guys."

Mikeala was open-mouthed, food long forgotten, staring at Notes. She then recalled earlier. "So that's why you freaked out before..." she murmured.

Notes jerked, blinking before glaring over at her. "I did _not_ freak out." All she got was laughter in response, laughter which quickly took over both of them. For now, everything was okay, but those niggling doubts and worries still ate away at the back of Notes' processor and despite the happiness she felt now, she couldn't help but feel that all wouldn't be well for much longer.

* * *

><p><em><strong>N.E.S.T. – Computer Lab<strong>_

"Maggie..? Maggie!"

A sigh of light-hearted frustration arose from the Australian. "Yes Glen?"

"My... My ports ain't holdin'!" he cried, his face contorting in horror whilst he typed frantically to try and fix the problem.

"What?" Maggie swivelled round in her chair to look at her hysterical 'advisor'. She knitted her brow in confusion. "That can't be right, Glen. All of our servers are secure."

There was a bout of nervous, frenzied laughter. "Yeah well this one ain't." Glen suddenly froze as a window popped up on his screen, before abruptly moving to click his mouse. Once. Twice. His hands quickly moved up to clutch his head in dismay. "Oh! It's all glitchin', man, it's all... it's all spazzin'!" He leaned down to turn round his monitor and started pushing all the cables firmly into their slots, despite them already being in their correct positions. "Don't do this to me now, man. I've been good, I've been good..." he muttered to himself as he fiddled with his computer.

Meanwhile, Maggie had turned back to her own computer, shutting down her Word document in favour of testing her own connection. _'Thank Jesus everyone's at lunch...'_ She rolled her eyes as Google started to load, and turned back to her colleague with a sigh. "What were you on_ this_ time, Gle- Oh. Wait a second..." The screen had started flashing back and forth from the familiar Google homepage to the blank white loading screen. As it finally settled on Google a window popped up telling her the operation had been aborted due to error God-Knows-What. "That makes no sense..." she pondered. "Unless..."

"Hey, you got ideas, girl? 'Cause we got a _big_ problem if this is getting at everyone! DAMN IT!" Glen leant back abruptly and sank down into his chair, resigned to the fact he couldn't put his computer back into working order. He moped, crossing his beefy arms.

"Glen? The last time this happened was when Sunstreaker was near our satellites!" she shrieked.

There was a moment of silence, her words having shocked her friend before he replied, somewhat calmly, "Well he couldn't have picked a better time... I mean," Glen's breaths came more frequently, panic setting in, "As soon as he gets here he's gonna get his ass whooped by the bad guy!" He turned his head to look at Maggie, only to see her reprimanding gaze and turn back to his computer, restarting it. "Right," he said dejectedly, "I'll send the error report to Lennox."

They waited in silence for five minutes as Glen tapped away at the keyboard, though he was careful not to use the internet – it was pointless seeing as it was almost completely down. He stiffened as yet another window popped up on the screen, and he tilted forward to read it, propping his giant glasses further up his nose with one finger. He squinted his eyes a little.

"Uh... Maggie?"

"YES, Glen?" she snapped.

He gave a small, nervous chuckle. "There was an error writing the error report."

She sighed heavily, running her hands through her hair. "Oh my lord..."

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><p><strong>Like it? Review?<strong>

**-Sands =)**


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